The disclosure relates to methods of continuously monitoring a laser beam using a photo diode sensor.
Lasers are an energy source which is used for welding materials by using pulsed high peak power combined with relatively small spot sizes. In order to insure reliable welds, features have been developed to provide increased control of the laser output. In some processes, the analysis of the quality of the weld is delegated to off-line visual inspection of each welded component. In other processes, infrared, ultraviolet, high-speed camera sound and transducer acoustic sensors are used as a part of monitoring techniques which typically use complex mathematical algorithms to analyze the sensor output. It is desirable to provide a laser monitoring system which utilizes a sensor for direct laser beam sensing and utilizes simple sensor output data analysis for quality control of welding processes and not laser beam power or energy.